Addis Herald
  • Home
  • History
  • Africa
  • Travel
  • Music
  • Culture
  • Art

Culture

  • calanderEthiopia: A truly unique African country
  • passionfruit-istanbul-croppedPassionfruit’s Globe-Trotting DJ Mixes Tell Stories Through Disco
  • Ethiopia-HighlandsThe most breathtaking geography in Ethiopia
  • Christmas in Lalibela‘Genna’: Christ’s birthday anniversary, an indispensable part of Ethiopian culture
  • the weekendThe Weeknd’s Next Album Will Be Inspired By BLM Movement, COVID-19 Pandemic

Business

  • siemensEthiopia Signs Deal To Build Phase 1 of $440 Million Assela Wind Farm Project
  • EthiopiaCan agriculture be Ethiopia’s growth engine?
  • Orange-Digital-VenturesGIZ and Orange launch an Orange Digital Center in Ethiopia, the 3rd in Africa and the Middle East region
  • 31342IMF and Ethiopia agree framework for loan deal reviews
  • 11-2-696x446Ethiopian Coffee History: From Chewing to Brewing

Africa

  • battle of adwa woriorThe Victory of Adwa: A Fresh Perspective
  • shutterstock_pricing-317799113ECA Price Watch points to construction sector as key driver of growth
  • africa-s-pulse-april-2018-780x439China’s poverty alleviation model instructive for Africa: expert
  • 20210222T0930-AFRICA-ENVIRONMENT-GATES-1165226Faiths institute asks Gates Foundation to change tactics in Africa
  • detail ethiopiaGrid connection of the Eastern Electricity Highway is awaiting trial operation
l_2108_fd0c07716bed57e5759d1025fa89e780
November 15, 2019

Total government debt ballooned to $69 Trillion in just Two Decades

Visual Capitalists

$69 Trillion of World Debt in One Infographic

Two decades ago, total government debt was estimated to sit at $20 trillion.

Since then, according to the latest figures by the IMF, the number has ballooned to $69.3 trillion with a debt to GDP ratio of 82% — the highest totals in human history.

Which countries owe the most money, and how do these figures compare?

The Regional Breakdown

Let’s start by looking at the continental level, to get an idea of how world debt is divided from a geographical perspective:

RegionDebt to GDPGross Debt (Millions of USD)% of Total World Debt
Asia and Pacific79.8%$24,12034.8%
North America100.4%$23,71034.2%
Europe74.2%$16,22523.4%
South America75.0%$2,6993.9%
Africa56.9%$1,3131.9%
Other37.1%$1,2311.8%
World81.8%$69,298100.0%

In absolute terms, over 90% of global debt is concentrated in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe — meanwhile, regions like Africa, South America, and other account for less than 10%.

This is not surprising, since advanced economies hold most of the world’s debt (about 75.4%), while emerging or developing economies hold the rest.

World Debt by Country

Now let’s look at individual countries, according to data released by the IMF in October 2019.

It’s worth mentioning that the following numbers are representative of 2018 data, and that for a tiny subset of countries (i.e. Syria) we used the latest available numbers as an estimate.

RankCountryDebt to GDPGross Debt ($B)% of World Total
#1 United States104.3%$21,46531.0%
#2 Japan237.1%$11,78817.0%
#3 China, People’s Republic of50.6%$6,7649.8%
#4 Italy132.2%$2,7444.0%
#5 France98.4%$2,7363.9%
#6 United Kingdom86.8%$2,4553.5%
#7 Germany61.7%$2,4383.5%
#8 India68.1%$1,8512.7%
#9 Brazil87.9%$1,6422.4%
#10 Canada89.9%$1,5402.2%
#11 Spain97.1%$1,3862.0%
#12 Mexico53.6%$6550.9%
#13 Korea, Republic of37.9%$6520.9%
#14 Australia41.4%$5880.8%
#15 Belgium102.0%$5430.8%

PreviousNext

In absolute terms, the most indebted nation is the United States, which has a gross debt of $21.5 trillion according to the IMF as of 2018.

If you’re looking for a more precise figure for 2019, the U.S. government’s “Debt to the Penny” dataset puts the amount owing to exactly $23,015,089,744,090.63 as of November 12, 2019.

Of course, the U.S. is also the world’s largest economy in nominal terms, putting the debt to GDP ratio at 104.3%

Other stand outs from the list above include Japan, which has the highest debt to GDP ratio (237.1%), and China , which has increased government debt by almost $2 trillion in just the last two years. Meanwhile, the European economies of Italy and Belgium check the box as other large debtors with ratios topping 100% debt to GDP.

Source Visual Capitalists

USAID and Ethiopia Ministry of Health partnered to launch the new Digital Health Activity The Horn Of Africa

Related Posts

Ethiopia

Business, News

Can agriculture be Ethiopia’s growth engine?

shutterstock_pricing-317799113

Africa, News

ECA Price Watch points to construction sector as key driver of growth

africa-s-pulse-april-2018-780x439

Africa, News

China’s poverty alleviation model instructive for Africa: expert

Industrial Parks Development | Ethiopia |

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-vSnVQfBoo

Africa

  • battle of adwa woriorThe Victory of Adwa: A Fresh Perspective
  • shutterstock_pricing-317799113ECA Price Watch points to construction sector as key driver of growth
  • africa-s-pulse-april-2018-780x439China’s poverty alleviation model instructive for Africa: expert
  • 20210222T0930-AFRICA-ENVIRONMENT-GATES-1165226Faiths institute asks Gates Foundation to change tactics in Africa
  • detail ethiopiaGrid connection of the Eastern Electricity Highway is awaiting trial operation

Travel

  • Homage to Entoto Park How the Old “Town in the Forest” is turning into a newly flowering tourist hubHomage to Entoto Park How the Old “Town in the Forest” is turning into a newly flowering tourist hub
  • 00ddd3-724x483This Is What It’s Like Trekking the Hottest Place on Earth
  • Screenshot_20200106-034619_GalleryExtreme Ethiopia in pictures
  • Addis-skyline-768x402Enigmatic Ethiopia: Africa’s (still) hidden jewel in the crown?
  • 929-1024x524-488x250Ethiopia’s Tourism sector is on the rise

Culture

  • calanderEthiopia: A truly unique African country
  • passionfruit-istanbul-croppedPassionfruit’s Globe-Trotting DJ Mixes Tell Stories Through Disco
  • Ethiopia-HighlandsThe most breathtaking geography in Ethiopia
  • Christmas in Lalibela‘Genna’: Christ’s birthday anniversary, an indispensable part of Ethiopian culture
  • the weekendThe Weeknd’s Next Album Will Be Inspired By BLM Movement, COVID-19 Pandemic

Business

  • siemensEthiopia Signs Deal To Build Phase 1 of $440 Million Assela Wind Farm Project
  • EthiopiaCan agriculture be Ethiopia’s growth engine?
  • Orange-Digital-VenturesGIZ and Orange launch an Orange Digital Center in Ethiopia, the 3rd in Africa and the Middle East region
  • 31342IMF and Ethiopia agree framework for loan deal reviews
  • 11-2-696x446Ethiopian Coffee History: From Chewing to Brewing

RSS Allfrica.com News feed

  • Africa: African Youth Champion, Ofili Smashes African Indoor 200m Record
  • Africa: Africa Development Management Associates Launched to Provide Policy Formulation for Govts, Corporate Institutions in Africa
  • Africa: Covid-19 Death Toll Exceeds 104,000 Across Continent
  • Africa: Lessons Africa Should Draw About Unity From the Victory of Adwa
  • Africa: Society Must Construct an Anti-Xenophobic Politics
  • Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa and UN Special Advocate Queen Maxima Share Commitment On Financial and Economic Inclusion of African Women
  • Africa: Covid Vaccines and Its Power Dynamics Where Does Africa Stand?
  • Africa: AU Urges Member States to Ensure Safe Elections During Covid-19 Pandemic
  • Africa: Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout in Africa Critical
  • Africa: CAF to Now Allow Limited Media to Cover 43rd CAF General Assembly and Total U17 Afcon , Morocco 2021
  • Abijitta-Shalla National Park
  • Alatish Ethiopian National Park
  • Awash National Park
  • Babille Elephant Sanctuary
  • Bahir Dar Blue Nile Millennium Park
  • Bale National Park; Ethiopia’s lesser-known Treasure
  • Bale Mountains National Park
  • Borena-Sayint National Park
  • Chebera Churchura National Park
  • Dati Wolel National park
  • Gambella National Park
  • Gambella National Park 2
  • Kafta-Sheraro National Park
  • Mago National Park
  • Maze National Park
  • Nechisar National Park, Ethiopia
  • Omo National Park 
  • The Semien Mountains
  • Yabello National Park
  • Yangudi Rassa National Park
© Addis Herald 2021
  • Contact us
en English
af Afrikaansam Amharicar Arabiczh-CN Chinese (Simplified)en Englishfr Frenchde Germanel Greekhi Hindiit Italianja Japaneseko Koreanla Latinru Russianes Spanishsu Sudanesesw Swahilisv Swedish